Wyoming and Employees reach agreement that includes small raise

Wyoming, MI (WZZM)- The City of Wyoming has reached a tentative labor agreement with its largest employee union.

The four-year agreement with 170 members of the Wyoming City Employees Union is the third successive contract for this bargaining unit that has included significant concessions from the employees. While the agreement gives employees minor raises over the next four years, it still provides the City with savings of approximately 20 percent over the term of the contract.

Key highlights of the Wyoming City Employees Union contract, which will expire July 1, 2016, include:

• Wage increases of 2 percent during the first year of the contract, followed by raises pegged to the consumer price index next year and $0.30 per hour during the final year. There will be no wage increase the third year of the contract.
• Higher employee contributions toward the cost of health insurance
• Increased co-pays for pharmaceuticals
• Decrease in the pension multiplier from 2.35 percent to 1.95 percent. This reduction in pension contribution saves the City roughly 2 percent of wages.
• Employees will be allowed to remain at 2.35 percent if they also contribute 2 percent of their base wages
• Changes to leave time policies including reductions in sick leave and vacation leave payout
• Maintenance of the reduced work week, which equates to a 5 percent wage reduction

City Manager Curtis Holt says, "This contract exemplifies the partnership between the city and the Wyoming City Employees Union. The union is dedicated to the community and to working with the City through these difficult financial times."